Do you have old electronics you need to get rid of? Good news! Champaign County is holding an electronics recycling event on May 18th, 2024. Registration for the event opens in just a few days on Monday, April 1st. They will accept a wide variety of electronics, including televisions, computers and laptops, phones and phone accessories, and more. More information about the event, its location, and what items they will accept is available on the booking page for the e-recycling event.
Category: News and Events
We’re Hiring!
The Help Desk is HIRING! We’re looking to hire GA’s for a 50% appointment for Fall 2024. Apply here!
Applications are due March 15th! We’d love to have your awesome self join Team Awesome!
Check out a video of the job description from our lovely supervisor Joseph!
Help Us Meet Your Technology Needs!
Have you ever lost your charger? Needed some headphones for a last-minute Zoom call? Wanted to try out a VR headset?
Fill out our survey to let us know what you’d like to see available for loan at the iSchool Help Desk!
Help Desk T-Shirts
Have you seen the Help Desk’s awesome new T-shirts and felt a little jealous that you’ll never own a T-shirt that will ever be just as awesome?
Today is your lucky day; we are selling these T-shirts starting at $13.50! They come in four colors: tan, light yellow, white, and pink! You can view the T-shirts online at campus ink.
On the fence about buying? Purchase a shirt! If we don’t get 24 orders, we will be unable to order shirts for anyone. Orders are due December 11th.
Earth Day Resources
In celebration of Earth Day, we’d like to take this opportunity to link you to a few resources in and around the C-U area of Illinois. Below are just a few places and services which help us all reduce our impact on the environment. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and with a little thought, we’re sure you can think of many other ways to support the environment.
- Recycle batteries, medication, hearing aids, ink toner cartridges, and more at the Urbana Free Library.
- Donate to your old items to clothe and shoe bins around town. They’ll take things that store-fronts and non-profits might not. They do NOT have to be wearable, but they should be clean.
- Many of the bins are sponsored by the GAIA movement, see more here: https://gaia-movement-usa.org/about-us/about-gaia-movement-usa
- There are book bins around as well, sponsored by Discover Books. Better to donate than to throw away.
- There are also little lending libraries around town to check out and the iSchool Help Desk’s own lending libraries near each desk location.
- Learn more about Discover Books here: https://www.discoverbooks.com/
Some other helpful links:
- Where to take recycling in Urbana:
- Look here for more details (there are lots of details): https://urbanaillinois.us/residents/recycling-program-u-cycle/where-do-i-take-it
- Where to take recycling in Champaign
- Look here for more details (there are a lot of details and places to take all kinds of materials): https://champaignil.gov/public-works/recycling/where-do-i-recycle-it/
- There are all kinds of ways to get involved in keeping our collective home cleaner and healthier, from adopting a highway with friends, to planting a garden (pollinator and food gardens especially), biking, walking, or using public transport instead of driving, replacing inefficient electronics, and of course recycling when and where you can. The weather may not always be the best, but we encourage you to get outside to appreciate the natural world around you.
- We’d also like to note what appears to be a lack of glass recycling in our area. Currently some curbside pick-up services in accept glass recyclables, but otherwise there does not seem to be any place which accepts glass items.
Things Former Help Desk GAs Said About Their Experience Turned into Motivational Posters
Former Help Desk graduate assistants share why YOU should apply to be on Team Awesome! 🙂
With any questions for current GAs feel free to reach out via Tech Chat and with questions for either the Help Desk Fulltimer staff or GAs you can reach us at our email: ischool-support@illinois.edu.
We look forward to meeting you!
We’re Hiring!
Hello, everyone! The help desk is hiring graduate assistants! This is a 50% appointment, and we are hiring for multiple positions. No tech support skill required–just a love to help others and an affinity for cute pets. A PDF containing the job description and a link to the application is attached below. Applications are due on Monday, April 5th, 2021.
Commencement Season is Almost Here!
Congratulations on making it to the end of your iSchool journey! This blog post will go over the steps necessary to make sure you’re all set for graduation.
Degree Conferral – Required
First, make sure your name is added to the degree conferral list. This step is essential to make sure you graduate and is due March 31 for May conferral! From Self-Service, select “Graduation” and then click “Apply to Graduate.” From here, you will follow the prompts until you can hit “Submit Request.” To make sure that you have done this successfully, go back to the “Graduation” page and select “View Active Graduation Applications.”
Near the end of the semester, you will receive an email from Peggy Ames, which will tell you if you have completed degree requirements, if you’re on track, or if you still have items missing for graduation.
The Office of the Registrar will email you on April 22 and May 6 with information about Diploma mailing.
After June 15th, your degree conferral information will be on your transcripts and you can then order copies of your final transcript. If you need verification of your degree before this, not to worry! You can contact Penny Ames and give her details of what you need.
If you are planning to continue your education at the iSchool, you can find more information here.
University Commencement – Optional
This campus-wide ceremony confers degrees to every Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, and Professional candidate. With the sheer number of people of graduating, you will not be individually recognized, but will stand as a group at your seats to be recognized. This is completely optional for iSchool graduates.
This year, Commencement is Saturday May 11 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Memorial Stadium. Here are all official details. If you want to participate, register for the ceremony by April 24 and order academic attire (same as the attire for the iSchool Convocation) by April 11. You can pick up your tickets for guests at the Illini Union Event Services Window starting on February 27. You must pick up and return your academic attire at the ARC gym 1 p.m. at the times listed at this link.
On the day of Commencement, MS and Advanced Certificate candidates should report to Memorial Stadium by 9 a.m. and Doctoral candidates to ARC gym by 8:30 am. They ask that you don’t bring anything with you, as you cannot carry anything during the procession and there is not a secure place to leave it. If it rains, you will get a poncho to wear over your attire since you cannot bring umbrellas.
MS and Advanced Certificate candidates will sit as one group, while Doctoral candidates will sit as another. Everyone should wear their hoods into Memorial Stadium. You will rise as a group as the the President confers the degrees.
Additional information for students can be found here.
iSchool Convocation – Optional
This is our convocation specifically for the iSchool, where you will be individually recognized! This year, it will be held on May 12 at 4:30 pm in Foellinger Auditorium. This ceremony is also optional!
Register for the ceremony here by April 24 and order your academic attire by April 11 (if you already have attire for the Commencement ceremony, you don’t need to place another order). Pick up your tickets in Room 112 of the iSchool from April 1-29. You are allowed 5 tickets – contact Christine Hopper by April 29 if you want to request additional tickets. You must pick up and return your academic attire at the ARC Gym 1 at the times listed at this link.
On the day of Convocation, arrive at the Foreign Languages Building (707 South Matthews Avenue, Urbana) by 3:30 p.m.. Wear your academic attire, and note that there is no place to store personal belongings. Check-in and line-up starts at 3 p.m., and you will receive a card with your name and pronunciation, if you provided this when you registered, which you will hand to the reader before you cross the stage. Staff will let you know where you should line up in alphabetical order.
If you have a disability and require special assistance, email Christine Hopper or call (217) 244-5600 to make arrangements.
Parking information can be found here.
A photographer from GradImages® will take photos as you receive your diploma cover and proofs will be mailed to you if you grant permission when you register for the ceremony.
Afterwards, there will be a reception in the Charles & Millicent Marshall Library Gallery in the Main Library for graduates and guests.
Doctoral Hooding
Registration is open for the University’s Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, and you should have received an invitation to register! It will take place on Friday, May 10 at 11 a.m. in Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The university-wide Commencement ceremony does not include doctoral hooding, but the iSchool convocation does. More information about the ceremony and registration can be found here!
The iSchool Help Desk wishes you the best of luck in all your future endeavors!
Information adapted from the iSchool Wiki and the official Commencement site.